AOC and DOW Increase Resin Prices

AOC and DOW are to increase resin prices in the North America Regions.

AOC will increase prices by US $0.04 per pound on all resin products sold in the United States and Canada shipped on or after April 18, 2005. This is in addition to all previously announced increases.

Further increases for April are anticipated due to price announcements for nearly every major raw material used to manufacture UPR. These increases are due to Crude Oil prices in excess of $50 per barrel, continued high Natural Gas prices and supply tightness due to demand that has most raw materials on Sales Control or Allocation.

Effective April 1, 2005, or as contract terms allow, the Epoxy Products and Intermediates (EP&I) business of The Dow Chemical Company will increase its prices for brominated epoxy resins sold in the Pacific markets by US$150/MT.